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| Posted: 24 Nov 2011 05:45 PM PST  A few months ago, we were supposed to fly to Taiwan for a one-week holiday. Our bags were packed, our money changed, and our cameras were all charged up ready to go, only to have our plans cancelled due to a house break-in. Our wallets, laptops and most importantly, our passports were stolen. The unexpected incident had caused our trip to Taiwan to be cancelled and a lot of inconvenience in recovering important documents. So when Prince Hotel informed me that they were having a Taiwan Food Promotion at Tai Zi Heen, I couldn’t help but cheer up just a little bit.
Taiwanese Tea set
Immaculate table setting From 18th to the 30th of November 2011, Tai Zi Heen will be offering set menus specially crafted by their guest chef from Taipei Garden Hotel - Executive Chef Wang, to amaze the patrons with his contemporary Taiwanese delicacies. Known for his expertise in creating dishes that preserve the original essence of Taiwanese traditions, I could barely contain my excitement while waiting for the food to be served.
Light bites and condiments The first dish of Dried daikon radish omelet was a walk down memory lane. Omelet just the way grandma used to cook when I was young – savoury, fluffy and aromatic. Apparently, the dried daikon radish had been preserved for 3 whole months. The omelet was thick with a slightly crispy outer layer. Simple but good! Sometimes, the best food does not need to be complicated.
Dried daikon radish omelet (RM20/RM30/RM50) The dish that nailed it for me was the Traditional Three-Cup Chicken. Served in a claypot, this dish still sizzled at time of serving, emitting a most delicious aroma that stirred up our senses. Someone from our table immediately asked for a bowl of rice to go with this flavourful dish. The term ‘three-cup’ actually referred to the 3 cups of sauces used in marinating the chicken – 1 cup of superior stock, 1 cup of sesame oil and 1 cup of dark soya sauce. The combination was pretty tasty especially with the tender chicken.
Traditional Three-Cup Chicken with Superior Stock, Black Sesame Oil and Dark Soy Sauce (RM28/RM42/RM70) The Vegetables and Seafood Soup turned out to be rather pleasant with plenty of vegetables and beancurd sheet. But what was most impressive was the abundance of seafood found within, especially the prawns. They were extremely succulent and plump, a nice accompaniment to this dish I would call my comfort food.
Vegetables and Seafood Soup (RM55/person) The presentation of the next dish certainly raised a few eye brows with the gigantic whole crab making a statement of its own. Presented in a large bamboo steamer, the Steamed glutinous rice topped with crab meat came in a huge portion. Since one could only eat so much of the sticky glutinous rice, this dish was definitely meant to be shared with a large party. I thought that the rice could use with more flavour especially from the crab. Also, the use of the bamboo steamer was important to keep it warm because the rice was a chore to eat when it’s cold. As for the crab, it was undoubtedly fresh and sweet although I still think that peeling crab is a lot of work.
Steamed glutinous rice topped with crab meat Finally for desserts, we had some traditional Taiwanese pastries called Sun Cake and Beef Tongue Cake. Very interesting names, I thought. These were both pastries with malt sugar filling within, except that the Beef Tongue was lightly pan-fried to a brown finish and had the shape of a tongue, while the Sun Cake was round in shape. There was certainly no beef involved.
Sun cake & Beef tongue cake (RM21/6 pcs) Before we left, we had the opportunity to watch Executive Chef Wang prepare the famous pineapple cakes for us. The ingredients used include flour, eggs, custard powder, butter, shortening and of course, home-made pineapple jam.
Ingredients for pineapple cake
Mix well
Pastry and pineapple filling
Delicately wrapped
Fitting into the square mold The Pineapple Cakes turned out to be meticulous square shapes with thin pastry. The pineapple filling was thick, dense and generous, while the pastry was fragrant and crumbly. I wouldn’t mind having several pieces of this.
Pineapple cakes (RM21/6 pieces)
Thick and compact pineapple jam within Having tried some of the authentic Taiwanese dishes made me feel a little better after missing out on my Taiwan trip earlier this year. If you noticed, the dishes served were nothing too fancy but good old home-cooked dishes that we are familiar with, only with a Taiwanese twist. If you had the chance, do chat Chef Wang up too, he’s such a friendly chap and will only be around until end of the month.
Executive Chef Wang and Chef Michael Wong from Prince Hotel Taiwanese Food Promotion is only available from 18 – 30 November 2011 Tai Zi Heen Chinese Restaurant |
| Win a Trip to ICEHOTEL Sweden! Posted: 23 Nov 2011 07:27 PM PST  Christmas is coming soon and what better way to celebrate than to eat, drink and have fun? Speaking of drinks, remember the silvery white-topped and refreshingly different beer, the Tiger Crystal? This seasonal beer is now back at your neighbourhood pubs for your drinking pleasure. I don’t know about you, but I’m not really a beer person. I only drink beers which are full-flavoured, smooth and easy on the palate, all of which the Tiger Crystal has. That, and the pretty bottle in silvery white has got me hooked!
Tiger Crystal So how does it taste like? It has a full-flavoured and a refreshingly different aftertaste. It’s the type of beer that I could go on and on drinking. You have to try it to get what I mean.
My bottle of Tiger Crystal – Refreshingly Different The question is, where can you get this beer? Only limited stocks are available in selected bars listed here: List of Tiger Crystal Outlets While you’re at it, why don’t you put the bottle to good use? To celebrate its comeback, Tiger Crystal has launched a competition on Facebook where the grand prize is a trip for 2 to the exclusive Icehotel in Sweden! Just look at the pictures I saw from the Icehotel website, they do remind you of James Bond’s Die Another Day, don’t they? Super cool! And what’s more amazing is that this hotel is actually rebuilt afresh each winter, since it melts away during spring. Amazing! Win a trip to Icehotel Sweden Would you like to sleep in -5C? (source) It’s such a chance in a lifetime! How often can you tell people that you’ve stayed in a hotel made of ice? To get a chance, simply follow the instructions from the Facebook app here and you’re halfway there. How to win a trip to Icehotel Sweden Step 1: Take a Refreshingly Different picture with Tiger Crystal
Step 2: Fill in your details Get your friends to vote in Facebook! As you can see, I have just joined the contest with my bottle of Tiger Crystal beer too. How do you like my Refreshingly Different pose? If you want to stand a chance to go to Icehotel, join the Facebook contest like me. But if not, may I ask for your kindness and generosity to vote for me? Pretty please? *Note: This is a sponsored post. |
I liked the fact that the malt sugar filling inside was not overly sweet but I would have preferred the pastry to be a little thinner.
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